Pre-LCI DIY HID Angel Eyes
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Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Sydney
I've tried using different types of LEDs for my pre-lci type headlights. It will always be dimmer than the angel eyes on the lci models because the headlight constructions are different.
If you stick the brightest leds or if you gonna put xenons into your parkers, the angel eyes are just going to look blurred and it won't stand out like how the angel eyes on the lci models do. That's whay I just ended up buying a set of lci headlights and plan to install them.
Don't waste your money on different types of leds and definitely no to the xenon as it won't end up looking like the lci ones anyway. You'll just have a blurred bright light without the distinctive angel eye look...
If you stick the brightest leds or if you gonna put xenons into your parkers, the angel eyes are just going to look blurred and it won't stand out like how the angel eyes on the lci models do. That's whay I just ended up buying a set of lci headlights and plan to install them.
Don't waste your money on different types of leds and definitely no to the xenon as it won't end up looking like the lci ones anyway. You'll just have a blurred bright light without the distinctive angel eye look...
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From: Queens, NY
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The bulb itself you mean? Of course the bulb itself has a reflector. Otherwise it loses too much efficiency.
Now, I don't mind people challenging what I know, but it is annoying when I know I am right.
Please tell me which part of this looks like a reflector to you
Now, that whole black piece, which is the holder is made of plastic. I would be damn concerned that piece will be damaged over time. Plus I've personally seen the optic (which is visible in this pic) yellow over time from LEDs, I can't imagine what HIDs will do to it -- probably melt it as well. I didn't take measurement earlier, but obviously if you are even thinking of getting an HID bulb in there, it'll probably have to be H11 or something shorter of a bulb, but even then, you don't have much room at all for heat dissipation.
My original post still stand.
Now, I don't mind people challenging what I know, but it is annoying when I know I am right.
Please tell me which part of this looks like a reflector to you
Now, that whole black piece, which is the holder is made of plastic. I would be damn concerned that piece will be damaged over time. Plus I've personally seen the optic (which is visible in this pic) yellow over time from LEDs, I can't imagine what HIDs will do to it -- probably melt it as well. I didn't take measurement earlier, but obviously if you are even thinking of getting an HID bulb in there, it'll probably have to be H11 or something shorter of a bulb, but even then, you don't have much room at all for heat dissipation.
My original post still stand.
I can back up Simon too! I tried using an H3. Yes even though HIDs are white, they appeared yellow once turned on. Good luck building a custom bracket for it. It took me forever to make one. And at the end, waste of time.
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From: Chicago
Simon, my apologies... My point wasn't to say that you were wrong or didn't know what you were talking about. I was merely responding to a post that more or less said "this guy says it won't work so don't even try". My first foray into cars was with the Taurus SHO in the late 90's. Back then there were two versions of the car: automatic transmission with a 3.2L engine to improve torque lost in the gearbox and a manual transmission version that had a 3.0L engine. People swore up and down you couldn't put the 3.2L engine in the manual transmission cars because those in the know said it couldn't be done. Now it's one of the most common swaps for that platform.
Likewise, in the 10 years I've been in business we've accomplished plenty of things that we were assured could not be done, not by those that actually tried but by those that read posts from others and passed on 2nd hand information as fact. So I'm little hesitant to just give up the moment someone tells me something won't work. Plus I'm a relative newb here. I don't know who you are or what your credentials are and I had no idea you had already posted in the thread. So either way, please don't take that post as an attack on you. Some times you have to look at something yourself to see precisely why it will/ won't work.
That said, the stock housing/ bulb does have a reflector, not the black piece you posted a picture of. What we did was remove the stock bulb from it's housing and the I yanked out the plug for it as well. What you end up with is the stock bulb housing/ reflector with a hole down the center. From there I cut it down about half way and opened up the hole. Then I slid in an 880 HID bulb. The end result was no brighter than the single LED I have in there now.
I'm of the opinion (perhaps you can confirm) that it's the rings themselves that are limiting light output. To confirm that I actually focused an intense light directly onto the fiber optic "pipe" and again, no difference in brightness. So it seems no matter what you do, reflector or not, the PRE-LCI angel eyes are only going to be so bright. Again, probably all information you know but much like you found out by trying it yourself, I needed to do the same.
That said, what do you get for a set of lights with aftermarket angel eyes in them?
Likewise, in the 10 years I've been in business we've accomplished plenty of things that we were assured could not be done, not by those that actually tried but by those that read posts from others and passed on 2nd hand information as fact. So I'm little hesitant to just give up the moment someone tells me something won't work. Plus I'm a relative newb here. I don't know who you are or what your credentials are and I had no idea you had already posted in the thread. So either way, please don't take that post as an attack on you. Some times you have to look at something yourself to see precisely why it will/ won't work.
That said, the stock housing/ bulb does have a reflector, not the black piece you posted a picture of. What we did was remove the stock bulb from it's housing and the I yanked out the plug for it as well. What you end up with is the stock bulb housing/ reflector with a hole down the center. From there I cut it down about half way and opened up the hole. Then I slid in an 880 HID bulb. The end result was no brighter than the single LED I have in there now.
I'm of the opinion (perhaps you can confirm) that it's the rings themselves that are limiting light output. To confirm that I actually focused an intense light directly onto the fiber optic "pipe" and again, no difference in brightness. So it seems no matter what you do, reflector or not, the PRE-LCI angel eyes are only going to be so bright. Again, probably all information you know but much like you found out by trying it yourself, I needed to do the same.
That said, what do you get for a set of lights with aftermarket angel eyes in them?
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Simon, my apologies... My point wasn't to say that you were wrong or didn't know what you were talking about. I was merely responding to a post that more or less said "this guy says it won't work so don't even try". My first foray into cars was with the Taurus SHO in the late 90's. Back then there were two versions of the car: automatic transmission with a 3.2L engine to improve torque lost in the gearbox and a manual transmission version that had a 3.0L engine. People swore up and down you couldn't put the 3.2L engine in the manual transmission cars because those in the know said it couldn't be done. Now it's one of the most common swaps for that platform.
Likewise, in the 10 years I've been in business we've accomplished plenty of things that we were assured could not be done, not by those that actually tried but by those that read posts from others and passed on 2nd hand information as fact. So I'm little hesitant to just give up the moment someone tells me something won't work. Plus I'm a relative newb here. I don't know who you are or what your credentials are and I had no idea you had already posted in the thread. So either way, please don't take that post as an attack on you. Some times you have to look at something yourself to see precisely why it will/ won't work.
That said, the stock housing/ bulb does have a reflector, not the black piece you posted a picture of. What we did was remove the stock bulb from it's housing and the I yanked out the plug for it as well. What you end up with is the stock bulb housing/ reflector with a hole down the center. From there I cut it down about half way and opened up the hole. Then I slid in an 880 HID bulb. The end result was no brighter than the single LED I have in there now.
I'm of the opinion (perhaps you can confirm) that it's the rings themselves that are limiting light output. To confirm that I actually focused an intense light directly onto the fiber optic "pipe" and again, no difference in brightness. So it seems no matter what you do, reflector or not, the PRE-LCI angel eyes are only going to be so bright. Again, probably all information you know but much like you found out by trying it yourself, I needed to do the same.
That said, what do you get for a set of lights with aftermarket angel eyes in them?
Likewise, in the 10 years I've been in business we've accomplished plenty of things that we were assured could not be done, not by those that actually tried but by those that read posts from others and passed on 2nd hand information as fact. So I'm little hesitant to just give up the moment someone tells me something won't work. Plus I'm a relative newb here. I don't know who you are or what your credentials are and I had no idea you had already posted in the thread. So either way, please don't take that post as an attack on you. Some times you have to look at something yourself to see precisely why it will/ won't work.
That said, the stock housing/ bulb does have a reflector, not the black piece you posted a picture of. What we did was remove the stock bulb from it's housing and the I yanked out the plug for it as well. What you end up with is the stock bulb housing/ reflector with a hole down the center. From there I cut it down about half way and opened up the hole. Then I slid in an 880 HID bulb. The end result was no brighter than the single LED I have in there now.
I'm of the opinion (perhaps you can confirm) that it's the rings themselves that are limiting light output. To confirm that I actually focused an intense light directly onto the fiber optic "pipe" and again, no difference in brightness. So it seems no matter what you do, reflector or not, the PRE-LCI angel eyes are only going to be so bright. Again, probably all information you know but much like you found out by trying it yourself, I needed to do the same.
That said, what do you get for a set of lights with aftermarket angel eyes in them?
If people want to use stock rings, the only way I can see this working is if the headlights are cut open, and do a custom set up where a bulb or LED is individually lighting the rings. Otherwise, for pre-LCIs, your option really is to go with Orions.
And can you rephrase the last sentence, I am not sure what you're asking.
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